Known printers often utilize a mechanically driven carriage to linearly propel, position and transport a print head to a desired position adjacent to a print medium. The print medium, in turn, is mechanically driven and positioned underneath and/or adjacent to the print head. During a print operation, the print head and the print medium are positioned relative to each other as an image is laid down. The known printers also include a cleaning mechanism comprising a set of mechanical gears that translate one or more wipers across the print head before, during, and after printing. A service station may also be provided to cap the pens when there are no print jobs to keep the ink from leaking or drying out.
Other known printers are designed and configured to be portable. For example, portable printers often include miniaturized components to reduce the overall weight and size of the device. Regardless of the size of these portable printers, the configuration and motion of the print head, the print medium, and the service station operate in the same manner as the known printers discussed above. Thus, the print head, print medium, and service station drive mechanisms limit the size reduction of the printer as well as the material that may be used as the print medium.